Stuffed!

Mmmm.

Is it just me or does every weekend host a different festival, sometimes several at once, in Bend and surrounding areas? I mean, there was Hullabaloo and Bite of Bend back to back, there was Artisphere before that, and a True North Parenting celebration squeezed in somewhere. Between all of these events, what’s a girl with her mind set on a very important birthday to do? Roll it all into a birthday weekend, of course! With food, drinks, festivals and so much to do in the outdoors, I had to take notes on this past weekend’s Birthday festivities.

Those in the loop have probably already heard that a new restaurant with a New Orleans theme is set to open in the Staccato location by mid-July. I had a chance to sit down with owner Gavin McMichael (also owner of The Blacksmith Restaurant) to find out more about this soon to be new addition to downtown Bend.

Changes are also afoot at Riverside Market, which got a pair of new owners in the form of Jon and Melanie Gaino. The husband and wife team have already made some cosmetic changes and other tweaks to the popular neighborhood gathering space, which was filled with soccer fans on a recent weekday to watch a world cup quarterfinal game.

Another Top Chef Competition at Bite of Bend has come and gone, leaving delicious memories in its wake (and for us judges the residual heartburn and sunburn that go along with them!). For the first time, we had a repeat champion, Kokanee Café's Roscoe Roberson, this time sans cowboy hat and black eye.

This weekend, downtown will turn into a food and booze extravaganza known as the Bite of Bend. As the Source Weekly is one of the esteemed sponsors, we thought we'd bring you our must-eat-and-drink picks for the festival.

Don't blink, the downtown area dining scene is morphing again. A pair of downtown stalwarts that includes the venerable Cork are passing the torch to a new generation of restaurateurs. Rumors that Cork would be closing have been circulating quietly for sometime and owner Carin Cameron appears to have found a buyer.
According to the grapevine, the fine dining restaurant and wine bar will be reopened as the area's first not-for profit restaurant. Stay tuned for more details on the concept. In the meantime, Cork customers had a chance to bid farewell to Cameron and Co. after nine years in downtown this past weekend when the restaurant served its last meals on Saturday night. Just around the corner, well, sort of, another downtown dining and nightlife staple is also changing over. The brown paper sheets are hanging in the windows of what was formerly 28 as new owner Corey Donovan puts the finishing touches on Tart Bistro. Donovan recently bought the restaurant, located in St. Clair Place, at the corner of Bond and Minnesota, from the owners of Zydeco, Steve and Cherie Helt. Tart, which Donovan is describing as a French globally inspired eatery, is forecast to open its doors later this month.

Does the weekly CSA box make you feel like a contestant on Iron Chef? The unknown ingredients? The suspense? The following recipe looks daunting, it's not. Serve with steamed broccoli or roasted broccoli with baby garlic.

It might be a sign that the economy is turning around when new restaurants start popping up. Proving that Bend can never have enough Mexican food options, earlier this month, Super Burrito cut the ribbon on its third restaurant, located on Highway 20 in the former home of A&W on Auto Row. Owner Patty Moreno, who worked at her father's downtown shop for years, jumped on the opportunity to expand the family business by opening an eastside location with her husband, Gama. The Morenos will serve up the same delicious breakfast burritos, tacos, supreme burritos and Mexican specialties as the downtown and Redmond locations, as well as margaritas and other traditional libations. The new joint will also feature a drive-thru window for when you need your carne asada on the quick. Open 8am-8pm. 2100 Highway 20.

When it comes to dining in Bend, I've been warned not to get too attached. Over the last two years, restaurant closings have been too numerous to count, and the victims have included some of our community's boldest culinary experiments. But like B of A execs at a junk mortgage trough, restaurant owners, chefs and restaurateurs are gambling on Central Oregon and the possibility of an economic rebound.